Indiana head coach Curt Cignetti has the back of his Big Ten counterpart, Wisconsin coach Luke Fickell.
The Badgers and Hoosiers are set to meet on the field on Saturday afternoon in Week 12 of the 2025 season. Indiana sits at 10-0 overall and 7-0 in conference play entering the contest, plus is ranked No. 2 in the AP Poll, US LBM coaches poll and College Football Playoff rankings. Wisconsin, on the other hand, is 3-6 through nine games. While the team ended its six-game losing streak with a home win over Washington in Week 11, it enters the Indiana matchup as a prohibitive underdog.
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Despite Wisconsin’s significant struggles, Cignetti emphasized his respect for Fickell, noting that the Wisconsin head coach has dealt with unusual quarterback injuries during each of his three seasons.
“I have a lot of respect for coach (Luke) Fickell,” Cignetti said in the opening statement of his Monday press conference. “He’s a proven winner. The guy’s had his starting quarterback available about 30% of the time during his tenure at Wisconsin. That’s tough duty.”
To the Indiana coach’s point, Wisconsin enters Saturday with true freshman Carter Smith likely to start under center. He’ll be the team’s third starter of the season, following Billy Edwards Jr. (injured in Week 1), Danny O’Neil (injured in Week 12) and Hunter Simmons (benched). It also went through much of 2023 and 2024 with backup Braedyn Locke under center.
Wisconsin defeated Washington in Week 12 despite getting just 24 total passing yards from its quarterbacks. With Indiana set to present an entirely different test, the team will likely need a big showing from Smith, or whoever takes the majority of the under-center snaps. If Wisconsin gets that showing, it could have a chance at a season-defining victory.
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This article originally appeared on Badgers Wire: Indiana’s Curt Cignetti defends Wisconsin head coach Luke Fickell
